Homo Sapiens

Beth Ditto in the house! This episode is a right laugh. Funny as hell, chatty as hell, and queer activist as hell, Beth Ditto chats to me and Alan about how Punk was the lifeline that took her from her hometown near Searcy, Arkansas where MTV was banned to becoming a rock star fronting the Gossip, a trailblazing solo artist, and muse to fashion gods she is today. We cover experiencing Straight Pri...

This week we are talking to the delightful star of Netflix sen-sation ‘Special' - Ryan O’Connell! Ryan’s story is fascinating, he turned his memoir about being a young queer person with Cerebral Palsy in to a hit TV show that is so funny, clever and really touching that I devoured it in one go when i first saw it. So as Season 2 launches, he came by Homo Sapiens Towers to tell me how making this n...

This week we are talking to the delightful star of Netflix sen-sation ‘Special' - Ryan O’Connell! Ryan’s story is fascinating, he turned his memoir about being a young queer person with Cerebral Palsy in to a hit TV show that is so funny, clever and really touching that I devoured it in one go when i first saw it. So as Season 2 launches, he came by Homo Sapiens Towers to tell me how making this n...

Has Chris been the only one wearing aftershave during lockdown!? Surely not. Anyway, other than updating you on that and his special new “celebrity” hat, in his final recording from Adelaide, Chris is asking you about your experiences as an LGBTQ+ person in the workplace! We discuss pronouns in email sign offs, safe spaces to work in and how to cope with homophobia at work (PS, you really SHOULDN’...

Our latest guest is a force of nature, a total hoot, and a huge part of Edward Enninful’s new look Vogue Magazine, it’s the AMAZING writer Paris Lees! She tells Chris and Alan all about the sweet delight of getting one over on transphobic newspapers, we have a giggle about what she’s been missing during lockdown, and we find out why she might just be upping sticks to France... Paris is someone we...

Our latest guest is a force of nature, a total hoot, and a huge part of Edward Enninful’s new look Vogue Magazine, it’s the AMAZING writer Paris Lees! She tells Chris and Alan all about the sweet delight of getting one over on transphobic newspapers, we have a giggle about what she’s been missing during lockdown, and we find out why she might just be upping sticks to France... Paris is someone we...

Face mask alert! On this week’s Homo Sapiens Extra, we’re combating discrimination on dating apps, which according to you lovely bunch, is extremely prevelant! Whether it be discrimination against your gender identity, height or even body hair, it’s rife and you lot have got some good ideas of how to tackle it. Plus we’ve got another wonderful Culture Club, where we pick through your best recommen...

Has your background, race or culture infiltrated and shaped your queerness, or vice versa? Well, this week’s guest the writer, community organiser, and instagram superstar Adam Eli is here to tell us all about how he uses his Jewish upbringing as a blueprint to enrich his queerness, and how we’re all connected through our queerness, like one big family who look out for each other. Does that make B...

Has your background, race or culture infiltrated and shaped your queerness, or vice versa? Well, this week’s guest the writer, community organiser, and instagram superstar Adam Eli is here to tell us all about how he uses his Jewish upbringing as a blueprint to enrich his queerness, and how we’re all connected through our queerness, like one big family who look out for each other. Does that make B...

“Not since Karl Lagerfeld did a collab with H&M has there been such a mad rush”. Do you know who said that? It was our very own Chris Sweeney on this episode of Homo Sapiens, as seemingly all of Canada and many more have once again been in touch! Can you maintain queer friendships without crossing *that* line? How many of your friendships have developed from starting out as (cringe) lovers? As...

Why isn’t Queer Netflix a thing? What was it like working with Harvey Weinstein? As it’s finally Oscar season, we are joined by the incredible woman behind your favourite movies like Carol, Boys Don’t Cry, Hedwig & The Angry Inch - the Christine Vachon! Plus Alan’s got a shocking take on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Chris’s husband is doing some very strange acrobatics. Be sure to subscri...

Why isn’t Queer Netflix a thing? What was it like working with Harvey Weinstein? As it’s finally Oscar season, we are joined by the incredible woman behind your favourite movies like Carol, Boys Don’t Cry, Hedwig & The Angry Inch - the Christine Vachon!  Plus Alan’s got a shocking take on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Chris’s husband is doing some very strange acrobatics. Be sure to subscr...

You are going to LOVE this week’s episode. We deep dive into your favourite LGBTQ+ moments in TV & Film and find out why Death Becomes Her is an iconic film for trans women, why Brokeback Mountain is a complicated beast, and what exactly is the Kill Your Gays trope? Plus, Emma Gannon teaches many life lessons with a single quote, the whole of Canada has been in touch and we find out if Chris s...

Well well, who do we have here? We are joined by Oskar Hansen and Zak Riding, a glittering drag queen and emerging DJ, as they share their inspirational story about the creation of the first LGBTQ safe space cafe in Edinburgh, Greenwood Cafe. We talk about why these types of spaces are essential to the LGBTQ community and why we need more of it! If you are ever in the area please give them a visit...

Well well, who do we have here? We are joined by Oskar Hansen and Zak Riding, a glittering drag queen and emerging DJ, as they share their inspirational story about the creation of the first LGBTQ safe space cafe in Edinburgh, Greenwood Cafe. We talk about why these types of spaces are essential to the LGBTQ community and why we need more of it! If you are ever in the area please give them a visit...

So many questions this week... Has Lil Nas X broken the internet? Is Chris a football referee now? Is scheduling sexy time a good idea or a bad idea in a relationship? @TheSexDoctor aka Karen Gurney joins us for a fascinating chat about cohabitation, doing the dirty and everything in between. Plus, we buck science with Lesbian Bed Death, Disco takes over Culture Club and we learn why jealousy...

What is it like to go home to Texas during a pandemic when you’re a gender non-conforming writer & performer who looks incredible in a dress with big shoulders? This week’s guest, the hilarious and wonderful Alok Vaid-Menon did exactly that, and the answer will surprise you. Alok is one of those people who makes you laugh out loud one moment, then the next moment properly makes you think. We h...

What is it like to go home to Texas during a pandemic when you’re a gender non-conforming writer & performer who looks incredible in a dress with big shoulders? This week’s guest, the hilarious and wonderful Alok Vaid-Menon did exactly that, and the answer will surprise you. Alok is one of those people who makes you laugh out loud one moment, then the next moment properly makes you think. We h...

FASHION WARNING! Chris has some new “high fashion’ additions to his wardrobe including a “fly net face mask” ohhh la la! We grab an extra big portion of popcorn for culture club and for Topic of the Week we flex our muscles with Olympic Gold Hockey star Kate Richardson-Walsh OBE to discuss all things LGBTQ+ SPORT and gender, including the tragic rise in transphobic hate speech in sport. Plus a tou...

Who else could take you from talking about straight people being obsessed with omelettes to a fascinating discussion on why it’s a privilege to fail? It could only be comedian Tom Allen. This chat was a really lovely surprise to me. I knew Tom was incredibly funny and he sure does deliver, but it is his incredible honesty about his version of the LGBTQ+ experience that you will all love, particula...

Who else could take you from talking about straight people being obsessed with omelettes to a fascinating discussion on why it’s a privilege to fail? It could only be comedian Tom Allen. This chat was a really lovely surprise to me. I knew Tom was incredibly funny and he sure does deliver, but it is his incredible honesty about his version of the LGBTQ+ experience that you will all love, particula...

Bow chicka wow wow…. That’s right dearest listeners, this week we are headed between the sheets, or on top of them, no judgement here. We are looking at how LGBTQ+ sex scenes are portrayed in film and TV. Sometimes ridiculous, sometimes biologically impossible and sometimes accurate and honest too, we hear your opinions and “The Bisexual” creator Desiree Akhavan calls in to give us her take on the...

Do you like glitter? Feathers? A wicked sense of humour? Well, we’ve got just the guest for you. This week we are joined by the utterly hysterical Liz Carr. You will probably know Liz as one of the stars of Silent Witness, but that is just scratching the surface: high priestess of camp, campaigner for disability rights, oh and she’s written her own musical. Whatever you do - don’t call her an insp...

Do you like glitter? Feathers? A wicked sense of humour? Well, we’ve got just the guest for you. This week we are joined by the utterly hysterical Liz Carr. You will probably know Liz as one of the stars of Silent Witness, but that is just scratching the surface: high priestess of camp, campaigner for disability rights, oh and she’s written her own musical. Whatever you do - don’t call her an insp...

Dear Listeners, something different for you. Alan and I have done a really fun collaboration with the brilliant Art podcast ‘Talk Art’ hosted by Russell Tovey and Robert Diament. We’ve basically made a mash up episode chatting about the giants of Queer Art like David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe plus we get all the intel on the next generation of trailblazing Queer artists like Cather...